HOLCIM AR 2016 FA_LR 5-26-17
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22 | <strong>2016</strong> Annual Report<br />
Holcim Philippines | 23<br />
THE SCIENCE OF BUILDING SOLUTIONS<br />
How do you build better structures for the future?<br />
At LafargeHolcim, innovative ideas that challenge<br />
present construction methods are put to the test<br />
in its Research and Development Center in Lyon,<br />
France, the world’s premier research facility in<br />
the construction materials industry.<br />
Hosted by the city that is known as the heart of<br />
French innovation, the LafargeHolcim Research<br />
and Development Center brings together 200<br />
scientists from 20 countries to tackle today’s<br />
industry problems and meet the growing demand<br />
for better construction solutions for tomorrow.<br />
The center is also keen to collaborate with startup<br />
companies from around the globe through its<br />
Start Up Accelerator program, which will connect<br />
start-ups with LafargeHolcim’s teams of experts<br />
composed of chemists, physicists, materials<br />
scientists, structural engineers, architects, and<br />
masonry experts.<br />
Young companies will also have access to offices,<br />
meeting spaces and laboratory equipment, and<br />
will definitely benefit from a century’s worth of<br />
construction experience of LafargeHolcim.<br />
“With the Start-up Accelerator, we are making<br />
a commitment to support young companies<br />
specializing in construction materials and<br />
construction solutions,” says Gérard Kuperfarb,<br />
Group Head for Growth and Innovation. “We<br />
can offer them a sophisticated laboratory<br />
environment and access to years of experience<br />
in creating and applying building materials<br />
in thousands of projects and challenging<br />
environments around the world.”<br />
Aside from the Lyon facility, new knowledge<br />
and perspectives are also drawn from local<br />
construction development laboratories located<br />
strategically around the world. The laboratories<br />
in Algeria, Brazil, China and India help bring<br />
innovation closer to the local market, on top<br />
of creating new opportunities in product<br />
applications and building systems.<br />
With its operations spread in 80 countries,<br />
LafargeHolcim recognizes that building and<br />
construction practices vary in different areas. The<br />
research center allows the company to tailor-fit<br />
the construction solutions to local needs, using<br />
its global perspective to have a more in-depth<br />
appreciation of issues.<br />
“We believe that the start-ups will bring new<br />
ideas and new solutions that will change the<br />
face of construction in the coming years. We<br />
are committed to looking for new solutions for<br />
our customers so having the opportunity to<br />
bring innovation close to our own R&D will be<br />
invaluable,” says Kuperfarb.<br />
The program builds on the existing partnerships<br />
of LafargeHolcim with start-ups, which have<br />
been working on sustainability and innovative<br />
construction systems. It provides an opportunity<br />
to students and young professionals joining the<br />
LafargeHolcim Awards, which recognizes novel<br />
ideas and solutions to construction challenges. •
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